HONOLULU, Hawaii (CNN) – President Obama is giving himself a little more time to recharge his batteries by extending his Hawaiian vacation another day, according to White House spokesperson Bill Burton. He will now return to Washington on Tuesday, January 4, giving him 12 full days on the island of Oahu.

His vacation was initially delayed several days on the front end because of the lame duck session of Congress. The first family arrived on Saturday, December 18, and the president joined them late Wednesday, December 22.

HONOLULU, Hawaii (CNN) – Every day before 8 a.m. Hawaiian time, President Obama gets an extensive briefing about all of the national security threats that have been bubbling around the world overnight while he's been vacationing.

An intelligence official heads over to Obama's vacation rental to deliver the Presidential Daily Brief, the very same classified briefing he receives every day back at the White House, and then a series of White House staffers provide him with extra information throughout the day via secure telephone, video and email lines.

HONOLULU (CNN) - Taking time out from his Hawaiian vacation to assert some executive authority, President Obama used a series of recess appointments to override Republican objections to several nominees.

Obama used his Constitutional power to recess appoint six people who have had their nominations pending for an average of 147 days, according to White House officials.FULL POST

(CNN) - The 2012 Senate campaign in Virginia has its first Tea Party candidate.

Jamie Radtke, head of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots, filed federal papers to run for the Republican nomination for Virginia's Senate seat currently held by Democrat Sen. Jim Webb, and Radtke plans to make a formal announcement in January.

Radtke said the recent tax deal passed by Congress and increased national spending contributed to her decision to run.FULL POST

(CNN) – Despite repeated requests from journalists and citizen activists, thousands of Sarah Palin's official e-mails sent while she was governor of Alaska will remain secret – at least a little while longer.

According to the Anchorage Daily News, one of former Alaska Attorney General Dan Sullivan's final acts late last month was to delay the more-than 25,000 e-mails relating to official business sent by Palin, her husband Todd, or members of her staff while she was in office.FULL POST

Newark, New Jersey (CNN) - Cory Booker has added social media to his arsenal of snowplows as the active Newark, New Jersey, mayor helps get his city dug out from several feet of snow from this week's storm.

Booker is using Twitter to communicate directly with residents to help get roads cleared and people who are stuck in the snow some assistance.FULL STORY